The Poignancy of Things
by dontcryMasha
Summary: A few years before the events in Skyward Sword take place, an older group at the academy is preparing for the Wing Ceremony. Seventeen year old Dean Winchester is confident he will become the next Knight in Skyloft, and his best friend Castiel agrees. Meanwhile, underclassman Link begins to develop feelings for Zelda-Could this set the tone for Dean and Cas?
1. Chapter 1

It was a beautiful spring day in Skyloft. With the Wing Ceremony only a week away, Dean woke up bright and early to get some extra practice in. The sun was just coming up and nobody else was awake in the Knight Academy. This was a good thing, because he wouldn't be bothered by anyone as he trained.

After leaving his living space, he ran down through the edge of town and jumped off one of the ramps. He called his Loftwing, a large black-feathered female, who showed up immediately. They soared high into the sky and the bird gave a caw of delight.

"Good mornin' to you, too!" Dean called out from her back.

The bird made another sound of cheer and flapped her wings happily. They dashed through the air a few times and Dean laughed.

"Perfect day for it, eh, Baby?"

More happy cawing continued as they practiced. The sun was rising as they did loops, soared high and then dove quite low. After about an hour, Dean decided they would head back. As the Light Tower approached, he saw figures down below waving to him.

"Deeeeaaaaan!"

It was Castiel and Zelda, two of his peers whom he had grown up around. Zelda had just started at the Knight Academy as she was a few years younger than him, fourteen or so. Her best friend was actually Link, who had also recently started, but he kept to himself for the most part. Dean would see Zelda more often, but if he saw Link he was always with her.

Castiel did not go to the academy. He was a year younger than Dean at sixteen and he had never been blessed with a Loftwing, so he stayed at home taking care of his sister and mother. It was just as well, he thought, because he had always been rather clumsy and flying wouldn't help.

"Hey, Cas! Zelda!"

Dean Loftwing landed with ease in the stone center, then he hopped off and waved back.

"Are you training for the Wing Ceremony?" Zelda asked with wide eyes.

"Yep."

"That's amazing! I hope you win!"

"Thanks," Dean said, smirking. He turned his attention to Cas now, who was smoothing out the tan apron around his waist. "Good mornin', Cas."

"H-Hello, Dean," Cas said rather bashfully. His blue eyes twinkled up at Dean from behind a mess of black hair.

"Any plans for today?" asked Dean.

Cas shook his head. "Only the usual. Oh, do you want to hunt butterflies with me later?"

"Sure, I'll have time for that. I made sure to get up early so my practicing is already done."

"We were watching," said Zelda. Her eyes began to glow. "You were incredible! I think you're going to win for sure! I bet you're excited for the winning ceremony."

Dean shrugged at her comment. "I'm mostly focused on becoming a knight," he said, still looking at Cas. "I _promised_ my old man that I would."

"Oh," Zelda hummed. She of course knew that Dean's father had died when he was little. "I'm sorry."

"Why?"

"Making you think about that."

"Nah, you're fine. Don't worry about it."

Dean smiled to reassure her, but just then Link came running down the stairs and up behind Zelda. He tapped her on the shoulder and, without exchanging any words, they went off together. Cas chuckled.

"They are funny, aren't they?" he asked Dean, watching Link and Zelda walk away together. Dean put his hands on his hips and agreed, but he was looking at Cas.

"I dunno," said Dean. "Hey, so, I'm going to go by mom's house, see how she's doing and grab her bug net. Then we can go catch butterflies. How's that sound?"

Cas cooed with delight. "Wonderful! Thank you, Dean."

"I'll meet you by the marketplace soon."

"Very well."

Cas went running back up the stairs and Dean dismissed his Loftwing, who immediately went soaring into the sky. He then took off towards his house.

Dean grew up on the east side of Skyloft, contrary to Cas whose family was near the marketplace. That didn't matter, because the sky island wasn't all _that_ huge and everyone knew each other anyway. His immediate neighbors were mostly young couples with tiny children or elderly people whose offspring had grown.

"Mom?"

He came through the front door and caught the attention of a blonde woman at the stove. She turned around and smiled warmly at him. There was another boy, barely a teenager, standing close by.

"Hi, Dean. How was practice?"

"Great. I'm totally going to be a knight soon."

"I'm glad you're so confident," his mother said, smiling more. She turned to the other boy. "And in two years, Sam, you're going to join the academy."

"Mh. I suppose so."

Dean stepped closer to his brother and nudged his bony shoulder. "Isn't that what you want?"

"Not really," Sam admitted, much to his family's disappointment. "There's nothing _wrong_ with being a knight, but I just think there are better things for me to do."

"Like what?" Dean snarked, folding his arms.

"Well, um, like research. When I get old enough, Headmaster Gaepora is going to show me his library."

Dean rolled his eyes. "Of course that's what you care about."

Sam grew on the defensive here. He balled up his fists at his sides and glared at Dean. "Have you ever stopped flying to think about the cloud barrier beneath us? Doesn't that make you wonder?!"

"Boys!"

The mother interrupted. Dean and Sam both turned to look at her, feeling ashamed already. She laughed to soften the mood.

"Both of your interests are fair! There's no reason to fight over it, please. Now, Sam, do you want to help me with this bread or not?"

"I do," Sam admitted softly. He was given a lump of dough and began to knead it on the table, just as his mother did.

"So, mom," Dean continued now, acting as if the spat with Sam had never happened, "Could I borrow your bug net?"

"That's fine," she said, grunting a bit as she pressed her palms into the dough. "You should really save up and get your own."

"Well, uh, yeah, I know."

Dean hated the idea of owning a bug net. It seemed so sissy. Borrowing his mother's so Cas could use it with him was okay…

His mother smiled, not taking her focus from the dough. "Go ahead."

"Right. Thanks."

He dashed to the closet and pulled out the net, said goodbye to his family then headed over the bridge and back towards the marketplace. There was a great spot where butterflies always seemed to gather, and surely that was where Cas would be. As he walked closer, he could see the mop of black hair sitting between flowers.

"Heya," Dean said, coming up behind Cas and waving the bug net in front of him.

"Oh! You startled me!"

"Sorry."

"It's okay."

Cas turned around and looked up at Dean, smiling wide. Dean felt his cheeks heat up. "Er, so, you wanna catch butterflies?"

"I do," said Cas, "But when I came here, I sat down and realized how nice and warm it is. Do you want to sit here with me first?"

Dean held his breath. "Yeah, I do," he said finally. He tossed the net to the ground and took a seat next to Cas with his legs out in front. Cas was sitting on his heels.

"Do you want to know something funny?" Cas asked, hesitating just a tiny bit.

"Always."

"I followed Link and Zelda after we separated earlier."

Dean raised an eyebrow and turned to his friend. "Oh, did ya?" he asked, chuckling. Cas was staring up at the sky.

"Indeed I did," he said.

"And? What was so funny? What did they do?"

Cas covered his mouth with his hand and laughed politely, closing his eyes. Dean leaned closer. "What happened, Cas?"

"It wasn't really a specific incident that happened," Cas began, "But rather how Link was acting."

"How?"

"I noticed recently that he's been strange."

"He's _always_ strange."

"Yes, but stranger. Around Zelda."

"They're best friends. Best friends can be strange."

"No, no, he's tripping and less agile. He turns red in the face and then runs away from her."

Dean suddenly laughed. He felt _his_ face turn red and he immediately turned away.

"Dean?"

"Yeah, that is pretty funny," he said. "Link is that age now, I guess."

"Which age?"

Dean felt his stomach turn. "Cas, you're older than him. You know… _puberty_ and all o' that."

"Oh. Yes. Of course."

How could Cas be so dense? He was a young man, he must have known what those feelings were all about. Dean bit his lower lip.

"Zelda is pretty cute after all," he said, "For a kid, you know. Don'cha think?"

Cas shrugged innocently. "If Link is interested in her then we should leave the two of them alone, shouldn't we?"

Dean suddenly nodded profusely. He tried to shake the blood that had rushed to his cheeks. "Yeah, absolutely. Totally. I agree. And we should definitely catch some butterflies now. Look! See? There's a bunch!"

"I don't see any…"

Dean got to his feet and shoved the net into Cas' hand, then pointed further away. "Go, get 'em! Before they fly away!"

He pushed Cas to start running and followed closely behind him.

"Dean, I don't see any!"

They ran to a few trees and Cas stopped. Dean shoved himself into the tree and a stag beetle fell down. "Look!" he said.

"Oh!"

Successfully distracted at last, Cas readied the net and squat down.

"How about that-"

"Sh!" Cas hissed. "Be quiet. Don't scare it away!"

"Heh. Right. Sorry."


	2. Chapter 2

"Awesome! Excellent! Great job, Zelda! Wow! You're out of this world, Link! Hey, I know it's only wood but don't horse around with that sword, Groose!"

Knight Commander Eagus was watching the rookies spar today. They had recently been given wooden practice swords and were finally able to learn basic moves. Most of them were still quite awkward as they whacked stuffed practice dummies. On the sidelines sat Dean and Sparros, another knight in training. He was about the same size as Dean only he had long, red hair and blue eyes.

"Link is a natural," said Sparros.

"Yep. The kid's pretty talented. But he needs a lot of practice before he gets anywhere."

"Hoh hoh!" Eagus' deep voice interrupted. He came over to the boys with his hands on his hips. "And what are you? An arms expert?"

Dean wrinkled up his freckly brow. "Never said that," he retorted. " _All_ I said was he's good but he needs more work."

"'Course he does!" Eagus chortled. He turned to watch Link now, who was considerably more focused on the stuffed target than anybody else. "He's fourteen! You needed a _lotta_ practice when you were fourteen."

Dean turned red but Sparros laughed. After getting a nasty look from his friend, the redhead quickly explained, "We all needed practice then. Come on, Dean. Don't be difficult."

"I know, I know," Dean groaned, rolling his eyes. Eagus suddenly smacked him hard on the shoulder.

"Besides! You're still just a boy yourself!"

Dean growled. He held his breath and thought to himself, "Be cool, be cool" over and over, until Eagus was distracted by a different rookie causing trouble.

"KNOCK IT OFF, CAWLIN!"

Sparros laughed softly and nudged Dean. "Don't take him so seriously," he said in a cool voice. "You're gonna be the new knight in a week anyway, remember?"

Dean nodded stiffly. "Right."

Class finished up eventually, all the while Dean and Sparros sat back and watched. Zelda put her wooden sword away and went over to talk with Link, but she was interrupted by Groose and his friends. Groose had tall red hair and a figure he had yet to grow into. Like most fourteen year old boys, he was incredibly awkward. Unfortunately he didn't agree.

"Hey, Zelda," he giggled, "You handled like a real champ today."

"I would have done better if you and your friends weren't distracting class so much!" Zelda retorted. Her stiff demeanor made Groose step back.

"Aww, haw, c-c'mon, Zelda. You maintained focus through it, didn'cha?"

The blonde girl folded her arms. "I _did_ ," she snapped, refusing to look Groose in his amber eyes.

"In a way, we sorta helped you, huh?" Groose asked. This was so embarrassing that Dean and Sparros actually felt bad for him.

"I don't have time for this," Zelda said. She sighed heavily then waved to Link over Groose's shoulder. "I'm coming!"

She darted past the trio of trouble makers and Groose clenched his fists. He watched as Link and Zelda left together, both laughing.

"I don't get it!" Groose huffed. "You can tell already that he's always gonna be a little punk! You see these arms?" He flexed his thin arms. "One day they'll be ginormous, just you wait! But Link? He's still gonna be a shrimp!"

"Yeah," agreed Cawlin, the shortest of the three. Stritch, taller than the others, nodded his small head and made a sound of approval.

As the rookies were leaving the sparring hall now, Dean and Sparros stood up and got proper practice swords; the kind they used were actually metal and seriously sharp. Dean went to a log in the far corner to warm up with some hits, where he couldn't accidentally strike anyone but he could still hear Groose and his gang talking. Their voices had grown softer.

"You know what I think we should do, boys?" Groose asked. Dean pretended to focus on his slashes and not eavesdrop. "I say we give Link 'what for.'"

"Oh?" asked Cawlin. There was a dastardly tone of pleasure in his voice.

"Mmhm. Listen close…"

They huddled together and could no longer be heard. Dean kept hitting the log. Sparros was working on one at another side of the room and that made it impossible to hear the boys at all. Dean figured it was best if he didn't know the details, but Link needed to be alerted regardless.

After Groose's gang left the sparring hall, Dean finished up earlier than expected and told Sparros to keep going. "Gotta check on something, see ya later!"

"Uh, okay."

Dean put the practice sword away and darted out of the hall. He ran around to the Knight Academy, hoping he would find Link soon. Nobody was around. He knocked on the door to Link's room but he didn't answer. "Damn," Dean cursed under his breath. He left the Academy right away and went towards the town center. Link must have been somewhere with Zelda, but where? Dean didn't know their hangouts.

As he rounded the marketplace, he ran into Cas. He was carrying a basket with both hands.

"Oh, Dean! Hello. I was looking for you."

"Damn it. Sorry, I don't have time."

"What?" Cas asked, his face growing concerned quickly. "Is something the matter?"

"I dunno. It's that Groose kid. You know he has it out for Link."

"I didn't."

"Well, he does," Dean explained quickly, "And I just overheard him plotting something against Link with his buddies. No idea what kind of prank they're up to or when they might do it, but I need to tell Link as soon as possible. Hey, d'you know where he is?"

Cas shook his head. "Sorry, I don't. Um, but, perhaps we can look together?"

Dean smiled. "Sure. That'd be nice."

Still carrying the basket, Cas hurried behind Dean as they walked around the marketplace. They circled it once before taking off towards the water.

"Maybe some place quiet?" Cas suggested.

"Yeah…where?"

Cas looked around. His sight fell to the highest point in Skyloft. "The statue of the Goddess?"

"Maybe. Worth a shot. C'mon, let's hurry!"

Their feet carried them up the multiple staircases as fast as they could. Cas kept the basket in front, holding it securely and breathing heavy now. Dean got to the arch before the area where the grand statue was and he suddenly paused. Cas slowed and stopped behind him. "Do you see them?"

"Yeah."

The young teenagers were sitting in front of the statue and talking softly. Clearly there was no way Dean and Cas could hear them from that far away.

"What do we do now?" Cas whispered.

"I guess we'll have to interrupt them. I'd rather it be us than Groose."

"Mhm." Cas nodded with confidence. He straightened himself up to follow Dean, but the taller, older boy didn't move. "Aren't we going?"

"Wait…"

Dean froze looking around as if listening carefully. His green eyes narrowed. "You hear that?"

"Hm?"

Cas also stopped to listen. There was a rustling sound from the bushes next to them. It stopped when they paid attention.

"I don't anymore," said Cas, whispering now, "But I did."

Dean slowly turned to the bushes. "Could be a remlit," he said, lowering himself to a squat. Cas tailed behind him, hiding behind the basket. "It could be Groose!"

"But wouldn't he be inside the wall—" Cas stopped his question midsentence, since the bush wiggled. Dean raised his eyebrows. A foot moved underneath it.

"HEY!"

Dean shouted and sprang onto the bush. A female voice yelped loudly and Dean quickly grew flustered. He had landed on Peatrice, a fifteen year old blonde who worked at the marketplace. She was in shock.

"What the heck are you doing in there?!" asked Dean, blushing profusely. He offered the young girl a hand to stand up but she declined it.

"Why did you crush me?" She yelped in protest, dusting herself off and then straightening the scarf on her head. Dean folded his arms.

"What were you doing hiding in a bush?"

"I was just-I was—" She stomped her feet on the ground and then ran away, down the stairs and towards the Bazaar in a crazy panic. Cas poked Dean's arm.

"Erm…what just happened?"

"I have _no_ idea. Women are crazy, aren't they?"

Dean smirked back at Cas, who was staring at him with big, serious eyes. They twinkled in the sunlight. Dean had to force himself to look away.

"Hey, Dean? Cas?" Zelda came through the archway now with a suspicious looking Link beside her. "We thought we heard something. Is everything all right?"

"Yeah, it's fine," said Dean. "But hey, Link? I heard Groose planning something against you earlier."

"What!" Zelda shouted. She frowned. "What's he going to do?!"

"I don't know, but you might want to keep an eye on him."

"Okay," said Link, rather plainly. "Thanks. See you around."

They kept walking by, Zelda's voice ranting on about, "I'm going to tell my father! I can't believe Groose would dare…"

Cas giggled and looked down at his basket. "Zelda is quite nice, isn't she?" he asked bashfully.

"Mm," Dean agreed. He put his hands in his pockets and kicked at the ground. "So um, Cas…what's in the basket?"

"Nothing right now. I was going to buy some fruit for my mother. She said she felt like a citrus salad. You can come with me and we could all share it."

"That's a great idea. Let's do it."


	3. Chapter 3

"I like these."

"Mom gets those sometimes."

"And these?"

"No, never had 'em. I hear they're really bitter."

Cas smiled. He held a pink fruit with thick skin in his hands. "They are, but you just take juice from one of _these_ ," he pointed to a basket of tiny orange fruits, "And let them sit in it. They're incredibly sweet and offset the bitterness, so all you taste in the nice flavors."

"I had no idea," said Dean. He agreed to carry the basket for Cas, which was now halfway full of fresh produce.

"Well, I think this will be enough."

Cas paid the clerk at the end and they were off to his house. He lived close to the bazaar so Dean didn't have to carry the basket far, though he didn't mind if he had to. They came inside and were immediately greeted by Claire, Cas' little sister.

"Dean!" she yelled, running to them as fast as she could. "Hi, Dean!"

"Hey, Claire. How are ya?"

Dean squat down to get on the tiny girl's level and gave her a hug, while Cas snatched up the basket and took it to the kitchen. His mother was sitting in bed. She couldn't do much since a Loftwing accident a few years ago left her legs permanently damaged. They said there was no kind of medicine that could fix it.

"How was the fruit today?" his mother asked.

"Lovely," said Cas. He immediately went to a counter and began preparing it, first peeling off the skin and then cutting meticulous chunks. Everything went into a big, wooden bowl. "I think it will turn out well."

"That's nice to hear," she said. Her attention went to Dean. "How are you doing, Dean? How is training?"

"Not too bad. I can't complain."

Claire wiggled. "Are you gonna be a knight, Dean? Are you?"

Laughing, Dean patted the top of her head and stood up. "Hope so!"

"That would be so cool! Wouldn't it, Cas?"

Cas smiled coyly and looked over his shoulder at Dean. "It would," he mumbled. "I hope he wins."

"Do you know who's playing the Goddess?" asked Claire.

"They haven't told us yet," said Dean, "But they've gotta know. It takes more than a week to prepare."

"I wish it was me," Claire said with a sigh. She ran over to her designated corner of the room and picked up a child's harp from her toy crate. It had three strings. She strummed them rapidly. "I would be good."

Dean laughed. "You will, one day. I'm sure."

"Do you really think so?"

"Why not?"

"Hm!"

Claire kept playing with the little harp until Cas finished the citrus salad. He brought it to the dining table with smaller bowls and spoons, then gave a portion to his bedridden mother.

"Thank you, Castiel," she said with a grateful smile. "It looks beautiful."

Dean began to eat and he agreed. His eyes were fixed on Cas. "It's awesome," he said.

"Thanks," Cas said, blushing. "It's nothing much but…thanks."

After some polite conversation had been said and the fruit was eaten, Dean excused himself back to the Knight Academy. There was always more practice to be done.

With his hands clasped together and resting on the apron around his waist, Cas led Dean out of the house to say goodbye. He looked down. "Um, so, I will see you later then, yes?"

"Yep," said Dean. "You know where I am."

"Mmm…"

Cas hesitated. He stared at his fingers and began rocking on his heels. Dean let out a nervous laugh. "See ya, Cas," he said quickly before walking away.

"Damn it," Dean cursed to himself. He felt his cheeks grow hot as he ran back to the academy. Cas looked _so_ cute. That would have been a perfect time to tell him that. Now he felt like an idiot.

As he went up the last set of stairs to the academy, he ran into Link coming down by himself. "Where's Zelda?"

"Out."

"Everything okay?"

"Yeah."

"Sure?"

Link nodded and gave a brief smile. "She's fine. Why?"

"I just never see you without her, and with Groose up to no good I can't be worried enough."

"Thanks for being concerned," said Link.

Dean expected him to say more, but he didn't. He walked right by. Dean wrinkled his forehead. "Seriously? Weird kid."

Shrugging it off, he pressed onward to get home. Right around the gates to the academy, he found Peatrice hiding. She gasped when she made eye contact with Dean and started to run.

"HEY!" Dean yelled, pursuing her. He grabbed her arm and she flailed.

"Leave me alone!" she shouted, wriggling out from his intentionally weak grip.

"What the heck are you up to?"

Peatrice tensed her body and stomped a foot on the ground. "Why do you care?!"

"Because you're following around one of my underclassmen. I don't let bad things happen to those guys."

The young girl was not amused. A stern glare remained on her face, leering at Dean as if he had completely insulted her.

"What?" Dean scoffed.

"I'm not trying to hurt anyone. Why do you assume that? You always assume everyone is up to no good. Ugh…you're such a knight. And you're probably going to win, too." He frown grew heavier with the last statement.

"Wow, don't be proud of me or anything like that."

"You don't understand," Peatrice groaned. She stamped her foot again.

"Calm down," said Dean. "Just relax for a second and tell me what's wrong."

She folded her arms. "I don't want to tell you," she said.

"Come on."

"No."

"Please? It can't be that bad."

Suddenly, her face grew bright red and her eyes began to wobble. It looked like she was about to cry!

"I-I'm the Goddess this year!" she yelled, then covered her mouth.

"So?" Dean asked. He didn't see what the problem was. "That's awesome! Everyone wants to be the Goddess."

"I know, I know! But I don't wanna be it _this_ year. Once you've played the Goddess, you can never play her again!"

"And?"

" _And_ if this is the time I play her, I won't be able to play her when _Link_ competes!"

Dean paused. "Wait…this is about Link?"

She nodded sadly.

"Oh, jeez, okay," Dean sighed. "I think you need to be told a few things. Why don't we go sit somewhere?"

"Wha? Seriously?" Peatrice asked, looking hurt.

"Yeah, come on."

Dean began to walk and she followed. They found a bench to sit on in front of the Sparring Hall and she curled up.

"You do realize that the winning ceremony isn't about romance, right?" Dean asked.

"I know," Peatrice muttered blankly. It was for from convincing.

"It's a sacred tradition of our people."

"I know."

Dean cleared his throat before he continued. "And uh, I don't…well, I'm not sure how to say this, but I think Link is interested in someone else."

Peatrice's face turned red again. " _Zelda_ ," she growled.

"Take it easy, okay?"

"Ugh…"

"Oh, boy."

Dean took a deep breath. This was too much drama. He had his own issues to deal with involving Cas. "I think you'd be smart to just back off. Focus on your role as Goddess this year and don't worry about it."

"Ugh…"

"That's the best I can do. I dunno what else to tell you."

Dean stood up and stretched his back. Peatrice was still sitting there feebly. He was out of answers.

The doors to the Sparring Hall opened up and a large, older man came bumbling out. He was yelling over his shoulder at Knight Commander Eagus. "'Til next time!"

"See you around, Pumm!" Eagus called from within. Dean turned.

"Hey there, Mr. Dean," said Pumm. "I was just delivering some of my famous pumpkin soup to the Knight Commander. By the way, have you seen Castiel around?"

"Sure, he's at home. Why?" Dean was happy to be distracted from Peatrice's petty drama.

"You know that I give my soup to Levias, the God in the Thunderhead, right?"

"I've heard. Yeah."

"Welp, he has some news that I think Castiel would be interested in."

Dean blinked. "What is it?"

"I'm not s'pposed to go around telling everyone, okay? But if you get Castiel over Pumpkin Landing, I'll let you in on it, too."

"Um, okay, sure. Thanks?"

"I'll see ya."

"Bye…"

Dean watched Pumm walk away to catch his Loftwing back to the restaurant. News from the God that Cas would want to hear? What could that possibly be?


	4. Chapter 4

Dean hardly gave Cas a chance to agree or not. He scooped him up and said, "We gotta go to the Lumpy Pumpkin. It's important." Cas nodded and followed along, though he was certainly surprised. A quick ride on Dean's Loftwing and they arrived at Pumpkin Landing. Cas didn't mind sitting on the bird with him. He trusted Dean enough.

"Hey, that didn't take you very long at all!" Pumm called out from behind the wooden counter. He put down a glass he had been shining and stepped around to greet the boys properly.

"What's going on?" asked Cas. "Why do you need me? It seems like an odd request."

"It sure is," Pumm agreed. He looked around at the few patrons—regulars who Cas figured could hear anything. "Why don't you come back here so we can talk in private? This can't get out."

Dean nodded since he already knew, but Cas was still feeling disoriented. Pumm asked Kina to look after the customers so they could go in the back room and out of plain sight.

"Take a seat," said Pumm, pointing to a few stools around a desk. They both did. Cas looked at Dean nervously but Pumm was so relaxed that he knew it couldn't be bad. "As I told Dean earlier, I met up with Levias, the spirit of the skies. I do that regularly to give him my soup. Have you ever tried my soup, Cas?"

"Uh, Pumm?" Dean interrupted. "I thought this was really important?"

"Oh!" The older man said as if startled. "R-right. Okay, y'see, he told me something that you'll wanna know, Cas. Apparently there are a few more islands like Skyloft floating around out there and on one of them grows this special fruit. It's tiny and rarely appears, but if ya eat it, any health problem will be instantly cured."

Cas gasped. "Are you serious?"

"As long as Levias is, then yeah. So I thought maybe you'd talk to him about it."

Cas nodded desperately. "Oh, oh, yes. That would be incredible. I would _very_ much like to find that fruit. My mother could benefit…"

"I figured," said Pumm. He folded his arms and nodded. "You better get going and see him. He mentioned that the fruit doesn't live for very long, so you've got no time to waste."

Cas touched Dean's arm and gazed at him desperately. "Can we go? Can we go into the Thunderhead? Is that something you and Baby can handle?"

Dean grinned. "Absolutely."

"Good! Then let us go!"

Cas got up right away and ran out of the Lumpy Pumpkin, leaving Dean there with his arms folded. His smile subsided into something smaller and he muttered, "Anything for you."

The Thunderhead seemed terrifying from Skyloft, even though people would occasionally go inside it. Pumm was clearly no stranger and Cas had heard the journey of other's, but it still scared him.

"Are you sure you can do this?" Cas called out as the soared towards the huge mass of clouds. He sat behind Dean with his arms wrapped tightly around him. Feeling Cas' body so close to Dean was empowering for him.

"Definitely," Dean reassured him.

Baby brought her arms in and she dove straight towards the clouds. Wind rushed them harder than they had felt before.

"Hang on, Cas!" Dean called out. "It's sure to be a bumpy ride!"

POOM!

They burst through the cloud wall and were suddenly inside the Thunderhead. It was dark, winds were strong and rain roared around them. Cas let out a squeal and hugged Dean closer.

"S'okay," Dean muttered. He shouted for Baby to go on and the Loftwing took off.

Pumm said that Levias come to the island with the rainbow, which they spotted not too long after entering the Thunderhead. The bird soared down to it and landed softly. There wasn't as much rain deeper into the clouds. Cas stood and looked up at the rainbow which arched over the island. "How interesting," he pondered. Dean glanced over at him and saw the myriad of lights reflected down onto him.

"Yeah," Dean agreed, staring.

"Hm?" Cas looked over at Dean and smiled. He saw the strange look on Dean's face and blinked. "What's wrong?"

"Uh, nothin'," Dean muttered. "Where do you think the sky God is?"

"Mmh…I'm not sure." Cas stepped over to the edge of the island and looked down. He cupped his hands around his mouth and called, "LEVIAAAAAAAAS!"

Nothing happened. Rain continued to patter against the soft grass.

"LEVIAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAS!" He cried again, standing up this time and calling to the sky.

 _Rrruuuuuuuuuuh…_

Suddenly, a deep tone resonated throughout the Thunderhead. Dean stood his ground. The island began to shake.

 _Rrruuuhhh…_

A giant whale came into view. He moved gracefully despite his size, dipping through the sky as if an ocean. His eye was as tall Cas!

" _Ah…those who I called up have come_ …"

Cas stepped back towards Dean as if for safety and he bowed, visibly shaking. Dean followed his actions but with less nervousness.

"Thanks for telling Pumm about this," said Dean, looking at the massive creature as best as he could. "We want to get that fruit."

" _I assumed thus,_ " said Levias in his deep, otherworldly voice. " _I must apologize that I am unable to obtain it for you. You see, the tree grows deep within a maze of walls and I am far too large to retrieve it. I can only sense when the fruit appears."_

"It's a good thing we're small then, eh?" Dean laughed. The God wasn't terribly amused.

"Um, Levias?" Cas asked now, trying to speak clearly. The whale stared at him, hovering within the dense air of the Thunderhead. "I…Is this journey to find the fruit dangerous? I didn't know there were other islands out there."

 _"I expected this question,"_ said Levias, _"And the answer is no, it is not dangerous. It is, however, difficult. But there is no reward without a challenge, correct?_ "

Dean nodded. As a knight in training, he could understand what Levias meant. Cas was a bit more concerned.

 _"Skyloft is rife with monsters at night, though the island you seek is not. A day's journey to the east shall land you among this island. You will know as it is tall with walls and trees. You shall find small islands on the way which you can rest at."_

"All right," said Dean. "Do you think I could do it alone? I'm training to be a knight but Cas isn't. I don't want to—um—put him in extra danger."

Levias let out a hum of sound. It was twangy and impossible to identify with a specific emotion. Dean shifted on his heels.

" _You shall need four to complete this task_ ," the God said.

"Four?!" Dean gasped.

" _Indeed,_ " said Levias. " _But as I said, there is no danger. Only difficulty. You are sure to find two others to join you. Perhaps…_ " He paused here for a while. " _Perhaps the two young friends of yours_."

Dean cleared his throat. "Link and Zelda? How do you—"

" _You cannot keep much from a God_ ," Levias said. For a moment, Dean thought he saw a smirk on the whale's mouth. " _I wish you good luck in your task. Bear in mind that the fruit does not last long, and once it is picked it must be eaten soon or the effects will be lost. There is enough time to return home with it, but little more."_

"Okay," Dean hummed. He wanted to say more, but Levias flapped his fins and soared below them and out of sight. Cas touched Dean's arm.

"We should go back. We need to hurry."

* * *

A meeting was called to assemble in Cas' house. Dean, Link, Zelda and Headmaster Gaepora all attended. Dean stood before them and cleared his throat loudly.

"All right, uh, so, there's a reason I need to talk to you. Cas and I went to see Levias today, the God of the skies."

Zelda made a sound of interest. Cas looked at his mother, who was of course also there and sitting up in bed. "There's a remedy for your injury," he said. "We're going to get it. It's a fruit on an island far from here."

"Oh, I don't know," Cas' mother sighed. "I don't think you should risk so much just for me."

Cas shook his head. "Levias said it isn't dangerous. He told us what to do. But we need two more to come with us."

"Take two of our knights," his mother suggested.

"Levias thought Link and Zelda would be better," Dean interjected. The two named jumped and looked at each other. Cas' mom was even more displeased now.

"But they're so young!" she protested. "That can't be a good idea! Why Link and Zelda?"

"Hmm," Headmaster Gaepora's voice joined the discussion now. He stroked his beard as he thought. "Though I do not approve of my daughter going on such a journey, if Levias has said it should be done, then we must respect that. He wouldn't endanger our children."

Link stood up. "I'll go," he said. "I'll do it. I'll make sure Zelda is safe, too."

Dean smiled with relief. "Zelda? Will you come with us?"

"Yes," the girl said, nodding. "I will do what Levias asks of me, that's fine."

"Good," said Dean. "Then we have to pack and get going. He says the fruit won't last long so we gotta head out as soon as possible."

"I…suppose," Cas' mother said weakly. "I suppose if it is Levias' will, and the rest of you approve…"

"Thank you, mother," said Cas. He kissed her on the forehead. "We'll be good and we'll return with the fruit for you. Then everything will be well."


End file.
